This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 01-50469, filed Aug. 21, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cradle device of a portable terminal, and more particularly to a cradle device to put away and store a portable terminal or to supply external electrical power to the portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a cradle device is used to supply an external electrical power to a power supply unit in a portable terminal such as a PDA (personal digital assistance), or to put away and store the portable terminal that is not used. Recently, the portable terminal has been becoming more broadly used, since the portable terminal can allow a user to overcome the limit of the range of transmission and reception due to the increasing development of electrical communication. Accordingly, the cradle device of the portable terminal also needs an improved function. However, when the portable terminal is used in operations such as a computer or communication as the portable terminal is settled on the cradle device, there is inconvenience to the user because the portable terminal is used while settled on the cradle device with only a certain limiting angle.
In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the user charges a portable terminal 80, or uses the portable terminal 80 by settling the portable terminal 80 on a cradle device 10 to supply the portable terminal 80 with electrical power. In the conventional cradle device 10 of the portable terminal 80, there is only a device to settle the portable terminal 80. Also, the conventional cradle device 10 has a simple structure to be connected with the external electrical power to supply the electrical power to the portable terminal 80.
When the portable terminal 80 is settled on the cradle device 10 having the above structure, the user experiences inconvenience in using the portable terminal 80, since the user can use the portable terminal 80 at only a fixed angle due to the cradle device 10. In other words, although the angle of a screen of the portable terminal 80 needs to be adjusted for such working conditions as light or a position of the user, the conventional cradle device 10 cannot adjust the angle of the screen of the portable terminal 80. Therefore, there is a problem that the user has to use the portable terminal 80 at a fixed angle of the screen.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a cradle device of a portable terminal allowing a user to adjust an angle of the portable terminal freely so that the user can see the screen of the potable terminal comfortably.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a cradle body on which the portable terminal is placed; and a holder to embrace the portable terminal settled on the cradle body. The holder being rotatable with respect to the cradle body within a predetermined angular range.
The cradle device further comprises: a settling unit to settle the holder to the cradle body so that a rotation of the holder with respect to the cradle body is prevented. Here, the settling unit comprises: a first settling member settled at the cradle body; a second settling member settled at the holder and connected with the first settling member to provide a relative rotation thereto; and a friction member disposed between the first settling member and the second settling member, the friction member being contacted with the first settling member and the second settling member to provide a predetermined frictional force. Therefore, the user can adjust the rotation angle of the portable terminal embraced by the holder at any angle that the user desires.